The purpose of this Notice is to inform the predoctoral training community of an update to the focus of National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)-supported Predoctoral Training Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, effective with application due dates of January 25, 2019 and thereafter.

NIH recently released its Strategic Plan for Data Science that highlighted the need for the next generation of researchers to be equipped with the skills needed to take advantage of the growing promise of data science for advancing human health. In an effort to achieve this goal, NIGMS is expanding the focus of its predoctoral training program in bioinformatics and computational biology to include the newly arising fields of data sciences, machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and virtual-reality technologies. Accordingly, the training program area has been renamed as Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Biomedical Data Science to reflect these changes.

NIGMS-supported programs in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Biomedical Data Science should train students in the fundamentals and applications of computational and information sciences to gain insights and develop new strategies to solve problems relevant to basic biomedical research. Of particular interest are multi-disciplinary programs providing the skills to address biomedical research questions by utilizing large data sets and multiscale approaches. Accordingly, multi-department applications which partner biological sciences with quantitative and computational sciences (e.g., data science, computer science, statistics, mathematics, informatics, engineering) are encouraged. Training should include the use of theory, simulations, data sciences, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other bioinformatics and computational approaches to address the full spectrum of basic research areas in the biomedical sciences, including for example, the fundamentals of analysis and interpretation of molecular sequence and structure, molecular function, cellular function, physiology, genomics, and genetics. In accordance with the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science , training should also include aspects of fair and ethical data use, data sharing, and data security and confidentiality. NIGMS encourages programs to make use of resources and expertise available in the private sector to develop student skills and career paths in areas including efficient computer code development and use of emerging technologies and platforms.